THE Independence for Scotland Party has moved to distance itself from one of its co-founders after she signalled her support for Donald Trump.
Victoria Gianopoulos-Johnson - who has joint British and US citizenship - took to YouTube this morning to explain how coronavirus restrictions and the recent Black Lives Movement protests had pushed her from being a left-leaning Democrat voter to supporting the American president’s re-election.
The ISP said the Nairn-based activist stepped away from the party "weeks ago". However, she is still listed on the Electoral Commission's website as their nominating officer.
On her video, Gianopoulos-Johnson said: “Honestly, up until May if you would have told me you're going to be making a public statement endorsing Trump for president, I would have thought that you were completely crazy. There was no chance. I'm left-leaning. I'm a registered Democrat.”
She added: “I am the daughter of Greek immigrants. I am clearly a woman. I am university educated, so obviously I'm a Democrat. I mean that's the demographic, right? That's the checklist, This is who I am as a person.
“And yet, as we went from spring into summer and watched what the left was doing. I watched violence unfolding in the streets of America. I heard a resounding silence from the Democratic Party”.
She said: “I can't explain to you what it feels like when you're born and raised in America and you move abroad, and you're watching the country that you were raised in burning, and you're watching looting and you're watching actual executions happening on the streets. And obviously that's a drop in the bucket to what it must feel like to be experiencing these things.”
In a statement on Twitter, the Independence for Scotland Party said: “We’re aware of the video from one of our founder members Victoria and we wish to express our extreme disappointment at some of the views expressed.
"To be clear, she is no longer part of the Exec team and no longer has any input into party policy or direction. This is not ISP.
“Victoria stepped away from her role weeks ago saying she wanted to spend more time with family and express her own views. She did not want to embarrass the ISP. We are a party of free speech but it is embarrassing and we want to assure members these views are hers and hers alone.”
Gianopoulos-Johnson has since deleted her Twitter account.
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